Minnesota is well known for producing foods like wild rice, sweet corn and Honeycrisp apples, but lately, it’s the state’s drinkable crops that are making headlines. Home to only a handful of breweries a decade ago, the state now has more than 100, and they continue to up the ante with new facilities, recipes and events — with five taking home medals from the 2016 Great American Beer Festival (check out our recap).

Thanks to this surge in craft brewing, Explore Minnesota, the state’s tourism agency, is seeing a new trend to take hold: the “brewcation.” While the largest concentrations of breweries can be found in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Duluth, nearly 80 percent of the breweries that opened in 2015 were outside those cities. It’s not uncommon for Minnesota brewcations to include destination breweries across Minnesota, from big cities to scenic rural locales.

Beautiful August Schell Brewing Co. in New Ulm, family-owned since its founding in 1860.

Third Street Brewhouse was deemed to have best Oktoberfest beer this side of Germany, according to Paste Magazine.

Central Minnesota

The Brainerd Lakes area, a popular resort vacation destination, is home to two Great American Beer Festival winners: Jack Pine Brewery in Baxter and Roundhouse Brewery in Brainerd, which won bronze for its Runaround Rye Ale. Near St. Cloud, you can tour Third Street Brewhouse and sample what Paste Magazine deemed the best Oktoberfest beer this side of Germany.

For more craft beer itinerary ideas and inspiration, visit exploreminnesota.com/drink-eat and follow Explore Minnesota on social media with the hashtag #OnlyinMN.

Erica Wacker is Explore Minnesota’s communications manager. She lives in St. Paul and enjoys discovering new places to eat, drink and play around the state.